Buckle



E'. GRAVES.

(No Model.)

BUCKLE.

,413. Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

EARL GRAVES, OF KOKOMO, INDIANA.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,413, dated March 17, 1896.

Application led October 15,1895. Serial No. 565,777l (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EARL GRAVES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in buckles, and the object in View is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and convenient article of the character referred to, in which a simple locking device is employed, whereby the accidental escape of the tongue from the eye of the strap with which it is in engagement is rendered impossible.

In order to accomplish the object above referred to, the invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement of parts, .as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings and finally embodied in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of the improved buckle having strap ends secured thereto. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section taken through the same inline with the tongue, showing the parts in their operative position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the pivoted tongueplate thrown back, leaving the strap end free to be removed. Fig. 4t is a plan view of the blank from which the buckle-frame is formed. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the buckle-frame. Fig. 6 is asimilar view of the pivoted tongue-plate. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the sliding duplex loop.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the buckle-frame, which in the present instance is made from a single sheetmetal blank, approximately square or rect` angular in plan, and having parallel slits cut in its side edges, as shown, and forming at each side three small flaps, the intermediate ones of which are bent at substantially right angles to the main body of the buckleframe and perforated to form bearing-ears 3, which receive the end trunnions or journals of the pivoted tongue-plate, hereinafter described. The remaining flaps upon each side of the perforated ears 3` are bent or curved inward and downward in substantially semicircular form to constitute spaced guide-eyes 4, which are adapted to receive the opposite parallel arms of a duplex sliding loop 5.

The duplex sliding loop 5 comprises substantially a rectangular open frame of wire in which the opposite longitudinal arms or bars are arranged in parallelism and slidably mounted in the guide-eyes 4 of the buckleframe. This slide-loop has its opposite ends deflected substantially at right angles to its side bars so as to locate the transverse end bars 6 at such distance from the buckle-frame as to vpermit the strap ends to pass between the main body of the buckle-frame and such transverse bars of the slide-loop. This particular construction and arrangement also serve to limit the sliding movements of the duplex loop in each direction.

7 designates the pivoted tongue-plate,whieh is preferably stamped from a piece of sheet metal and formed in such process with laterally-extending studs or trunnions 8, which enter the perforated ears of the buckle-frame and pivotally connect said tongue-plate therewith, and said plate is further provided with a longitudinally-extending spring-linger 9, which curves slightly away from the tongueframe and is adapted to be received beneath a roller or sleeve lO, surrounding the transverse bar at the forward end of the slide-loop, when the parts are in operative or locked position. The tongue ll is riveted or otherwise rigidly connected to the central portion of the plate 7.

The buckle hereinabove described is connected permanently to one end of a strap by means of threads or rivets passing through perforations l2 in the buckle-frame, or in any other convenient manner. The strap end to be temporarily held within the buckle is inserted between the main body of the buckleframe and the double slide-loop, while the pivoted tongue-plate is thrown back. The desired eye in the strap is then brought into a position near the tongue-plate and the latter is then swung inward so as to project the tongue through the eye of the strap. This being done the duplex slide-loop is drawn back until the sleeve of the forward transverse bar thereof passes over and engages the forwardly-projecting spring-finger of the pivoted tongue-plate, whereupon said slide-loop IOO Changes in theforin, proportion and minorV details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

I-Iaving` described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In 'a buckle, the combination with the buckle-frame and the tongue-plate' pivotally connected therewith, of a rectangular slideloopliaving its side bars in sliding engagement with the buckle-frame and its end bars deflected laterally so lthat the strapmay pass between thebu'ckle-franie on the one side and both end bars of the loop on the other, whereby the slide-loop is adapted to engage and lock the tongue-plate, substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

2. In a buckle, a frarne provided at opposite sides with guideweyes, in combination with a slide-loop mounted to slide Within said guide-eyes and provided with a transverse bar, and a tongue-plate pivot-ally connected with the buckle-frame and adapted to be engaged by said slide-loop, substantially as described.

In a buckle, a buckle-frame formed from a sheet-metal blank and having its opposite side edges slitted to form iaps which are bent over and constitute guide-eyes, in combination with a duplex slide-loop mounted to slide within said eyes and provided with front and rear transverse bars, and atongue-plate pivotally connected with the buckle-frame and having an integrally-for1ned spring-finger adapted to be engaged by the slide-loop, substantially in the mannerand forthe purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have heretoailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EARL GRAVES. XVii-nesses:

En Monnow, '.l`. C. MeREvNoLos. 

